Marc Kalipolites

PO Box 62

Cragsmoor,New York12420

845-399-3192

November 28, 2007

Mr. Ethan M. Pierce, Natural Resources Planner

NYS DEC Division of Lands and Forests Region 3

21 South Putt Corners Road

New Paltz, NY12561

Re: Shawangunk Ridge Unit Management Plan

Dear Mr. Pierce:

My name is Marc Kalipolites. I am a life-long resident of the Town of Wawarsing, having grown up in the Village of Ellenville. I currently reside in the hamlet of Cragsmoor. I am a graduate of Ellenville High School, Ulster County Community College and SUNY New Paltz. I am proud to say that I am a product of this local environment.

Even as a young teenager, I was profoundly concerned about environmental issues. I collected photographic evidence of the dumping of sewage into the Sandberg Creek and the dumping of dyes into the Rondout Creek by the Napanoch Paper Mill. I also started riding motorcycles. My little off-road motorcycle allowed me to see and experience places that were not easily accessible by any other method. Thus begun my love for the outdoors and of the surrounding ShawangunkMountains. My first summer job was at the Mt Cathalia Ski Area (yes, Ellenville once had a ski area!!). There I had the dream job of patrolling the area on my motorcycle and maintaining the Moto-Cross track.

When it was time to think about college, my combination of environmental awareness and motorcycle enthusiasm led me toward studying Pre-Engineering at UlsterCommunity College. I had dreams of building hybrid cars and low emission engines (in 1975!). While at Ulster, I took a Ski Back-Packing class and immediately loved it.

In 1978, I opened a bicycle, ski and sporting goods store (Moto-MarkCycleCenter) in Ellenville. I ran several Cross-country Ski concessions and began racing BMX bicycles. I won the NY state number 1 plate and was ranked 20th nationally. I also went back to college (SUNY New Paltz) and earned a BS degree in Physics. When mountain bikes first came out, I began selling (and riding) them. I spent a great amount of time exploring the Shawangunk Ridge.

I joined the Cragsmoor Fire Company in 1993. In 1994, I purchased my current residence in Cragsmoor primarily because of its proximity to IceCaves, where I would mountain bike in the evenings after work. That all changed when Open Space Institute purchased the entire Sam’s Point parcel from the Village of Ellenville. Open Space representatives made all sorts of promises to local interest groups leading many to believe that they would be able to ski, mountain bike, snowmobile and even hang-glide on the land. They also promised to turn the property over to the State of New York in short order. We now know that none of this was to be. Open Space, and their partners The Nature Conservancy, have kept the majority of that land, have built an expansive InterpretiveCenter, only allow hiking, and continue to not pay any property taxes. The quality of life for the year round residents of our community has been diminished, considerably.

I purchased my first snowmobile in 1999, and having no local trail access, started riding in Vermont. I was amazed at the incredible network of trails that criss-cross the entire state. There are even feeder trails that lead to food, gas and lodging. You can literally park your car at the hotel and not drive it again until you leave for home. After seeing such an enlightened approach to sharing a State’s resources, I now desire the same from my home town.

Okay, so why the long winded introduction? Well, the fact is that were it not for my early exposure to motorcycles and all the natural beauty of our area that became accessible to me, I would not be the person that I am today. The majority of my High School Classmates left the area after school, never to return. Were it not for my attachment to the area, I may have done the same. Instead, I found a way to create my own employment opportunities while enjoying the area. If we do not provide recreational access to the great resources of our area, there will be no one to protect them in the future. You cannot become passionate about protecting something that you have only seen on a postcard.

Sincerely,

Marc Kalipolites

A Proposal to NYS DEC Regarding the Draft Unit Management Plan for

The Shawangunk Ridge Unit

Areas encompassed in this proposal:

Witch’s HoleStateForest

ShawangunkRidgeStateForest

RoosaGapStateForest

WurtsboroRidgeStateForest

The Lundy Estate

VernooyHillStateForest

Introduction

This proposal is submitted by the Shawangunk Snowmobile and Rescue Club, which is aNew YorkState not-for-profit corporation and member club of the New York State Snowmobile Association, and has been an active part of our community since 1970. The club currently has about 150 members.Built on a solid foundation, the club’s stated purpose is to promote safe, courteous, legal and responsible snowmobiling; to promote a favorable public interest in snowmobiling, to establish a code of conduct for its members, and to provide service to the community.

The club generally covers communities in northern OrangeCounty, eastern SullivanCounty and southern UlsterCounty, home to the stunningly beautiful ShawangunkMountain range and MinnewaskaState Park, Mohonk Preserve, and Sam’s Point Preserve. The club has experienced a complete loss of its snowmobile trail system, which used to encompass some of the Shawangunk Ridge in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as surrounding private land. Development pressure on the area has caused much of the private land to be developed into residential residences. The Open Space Institute’s purchase of the entire Sam’s Point parcel from the Village of Ellenville closed that area to not only snowmobilers, but the area’s cyclists and equestrians as well.

Despite the loss of trails, the club continues to be active in the community. Adopt-a-Highway agreements are in place with the NYS DOT for nearly five miles of State Route 52. A raffle is held each year to raise funds for a scholarship which benefits area youth. Food baskets are provided to the needy at holiday time. The club supports area fire, ambulance and police units with donations. NYS Snowmobile Safety courses, first aid and CPR classes, and a NYS Basic Wildland Search Skills training course have been held.

Perhaps the most important contribution to the community that this club makes, however, is its maintenance of a winter search and rescue unit. The club owns a late model Ski-Doo Skandic, which is a work-style snowmobile capable of traversing the steep terrain of the Shawangunk Ridge. A rescue toboggan and equipment toboggan are stored together with the snowmobile in a covered trailer, which is ready to respond to emergencies together with trained operators and rescue equipment. The unit was called in for a rescue at StewartStateForest in the winter of 2007. Rescues began as early as 1975, when members rescued 8 people, among them two 3 year old children, a woman 8 months pregnant, and a man recuperating from an appendectomy from the rugged terrain of Sam’s Point when theirfour-wheel drive truck mired in a snow bank. Over the decades, countless rescue calls have come in, among them:

  • January 17, 1983 – rescued five missing teenagers from LakeMaratanza (near Minnewaska State Park Preserve in New Paltz).
  • A suicide victim’s body was retrieved from Cragsmoor – and 8 exhausted search party members had to be transported out after their efforts.
  • During the Blizzard of 1993, local towns were under a state of emergency. The Club was on call and under direct supervision of the Ulster County Fire Coordinator. Members provided round-the-clock coverage with machines and club members at various fire houses for the entire weekend. Club members assisted with rescuing people and provided needed transportation at a time when most emergency vehicles found it impossible to travel the roads.
  • In January 1994, just one week following the Blizzard of 93, they were again called upon by authorities to assist with a search and rescue, this time transporting two lost skiers out of Cragsmoor.
  • On January 18, 2005 – a man injured while “caving” illegally in the NYSDEC’s Bashakill Wildlife Management Area in Westbrookville was rescued. Ice hampered rescue efforts; club members ferried personnel and supplies up the mountain on snowmobiles with studded tracks. The rescue took 10 hours; temperatures were in the teens.

The New York State Snowmobile Association represents 251 snowmobile clubs and over 50,000 individual members.

Recent legislation (the Snowmobilers Rights and Responsibilities Act) was passed which imposes a 55 mph speed limit on snowmobile trails, as well as other safety-related items. More snowmobilers are joining clubs to take advantage of a reduced registration rate. Clubs are able to educate these new members in trail etiquette and leave-no-trace concepts.

Part of every snowmobile registration fee is deposited in a dedicated Trail Fund, administered by NYS OPRHP, and distributed to snowmobile clubs for trail construction and maintenance. In 2006-2007, that fund totaled over 3.6 million dollars. A statewide liability insurance policy protecting both the clubs and the landowners is paid out of this fund.

Both organizations are willing to cooperate with other interested parties to create shared-use trails throughout the areas covered by the Unit Management Plan.

Proposal

The Club proposes to createshared-use trails in the following areas:

  • Witch’s HoleStateForest
  • ShawangunkRidgeStateForest
  • RoosaGapStateForest
  • WurtsboroRidgeStateForest
  • The Lundy Estate
  • VernooyHillStateForest

And that minimally the following activities be considered:

  • Hunting and Fishing
  • Hiking
  • Mountain Biking
  • Horse Back Riding
  • Snowmobiling
  • Cross County Skiing/Snow Shoeing

These activities can coexist within the Unit by providing a seasonal use calendar that would define the times of year that each activity could take place.

The Shawangunk Snowmobile and Rescue Club (SSRC), in cooperation with other interested parties and NYSSA member clubs in the area (Rock Tavern Sno Riders in Orange County and Tawaeri Taqui Trailblazers in Ulster County), would like to create a system of multiple use trails that would ultimately connect these Areas together, utilizing other public and private lands.The goal is to create a shared-use corridor which eventually will connect (through the Lundy Estate) to the Sullivan County Trails Association’s (a NYSSA member club) trail system which traverses part of the Catskill Forest Preserve in SullivanCounty. This goal is consistent with the desires of other groups we have met with, including the Ulster County Non-Motorized Transportation Council.

Through an Adopt-a-Natural-Resource agreement with the DEC, some volunteer trail construction and maintenance would be provided by the membership of the NYSSA member clubs. If needed, a Certificate of Insurance could be provided by NYSSA’s Liability Insurance carrier. This would cover both public and private landowners. Some funding for equipment and trail signage could be provided by member clubs and through private donations. Signage and trail construction would follow guidelines as published by NYS DEC and NYS OPRHP.

Here are our recommendations as to possible trail routes:

  • 1(or more) East-West trail(s) from the vicinity of Route 52 to the vicinity of Route 209
  • 1(or more) North-South trail(s) extending from the southern end of the Wurstsboro Ridge State Forest Parcel to the Northern end of the ShawangunkRidgeStateForest. At least 1 trail should border the perimeter of these parcels in order to accommodate connecting to other private and/or public trails
  • Utilize the two existing roads through the Lundy Estate, as well as some of the pre-existing logging trails
  • 1 trail within the VernooyHillStateForest connecting to the Lundy Estate

Additionally, we would recommend that the following parking areas be constructed:

  • On Route 52 near Cox Road
  • In the Spring Glen area off Route 209
  • On Lundy Road, in the vicinity of the old bridge

The exact locations of the proposed trails and parking areas should be developed in conjunction with the local DEC managers.

Costs

The development of shared-use trails is an investment in a community’s future. Trail development costs are far lower than development for other recreational pursuits (soccer or baseball fields for example). The costs can be defrayed through the use of volunteer efforts and donations.

Benefits

Efficient. Shared-use trails make the most efficient use of our area’s natural assets. To create single-use trails that only serve a small segment of the population can create ill-will among a community. Therefore trails that can be seasonally shared and that serve several trail user groups would benefit a larger portion of the community.

Health Benefits. The physical and emotional benefits of the outdoors could be enjoyed by more people. Snowmobilers, Cross-Country skiers and Mountain Bikers are active, healthy people who have as much right to enjoy our local resources as any other group of users.

Economic Benefits. Trails can have a positive economic impact on a community. Snowmobiling in particular can increase tourism revenue, especially during the slow winter months. An Economic Impact study performed by NYS OPRHP in 2003 estimates the economic impact of snowmobiling to be $875 million statewide. The same study showed that each snowmobiler spent approximately $500.00 for in-state snowmobile vacations. This equates to between $50,000 and $250,000 in additional income annually for the communities surrounding this project. This is a significant and positive impact for the depressed local economy.

Quality of life. Trails and green spaces are an attractive addition to a community.Local, year round residents don’t have access to all the recreational opportunities that are available to residents of other areas. Therefore, multiple use access of our trails is necessary to provide relaxation and recreation for our local population.

Contact Information:

Marc Kalipolites, Member
Shawangunk Snowmobile & Rescue Club
PO Box 62
Cragsmoor, New York12420
845-399-3192
/ Paul Oomen, President
Shawangunk Snowmobile & Rescue Club
323 Old Plank Rd
Pine Bush, NY12566
845-647-8981
/ Anne O’Dell, District Director
NYS Snowmobile Association
310 Brimstone Hill Road
Pine Bush, NY12566
845-270-5441

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